Low-Level Red Light for the Progression Myopia in Children: A Meta-Analysis

Purposes: This meta-analysis aims to systematically analyze the efficacy of low-level red light (LRL) therapy for myopia control and prevention in children. Methods: All the data were searched from the PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. The Cochrane Handbook was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Additionally, this meta-analysis was performed by using the Revman 5.4 software. Inclusion criteria was randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and the patient populations were younger than 18 years. Results: Eight RCTs were included in this study. Compared with control group, LRL treatment could reduce the progression in spherical equivalent refractive (SER) for myopia children (MD, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.27 to 0.71; p < .00001). Also, less change in axial length (AL) and increase in subfoveal choroid thickness (SFCT) was shown in the LRL group for both myopia and premyopia children (MD, -0.24, 28.16; 95% CI, -0.32 to -0.17, 18.78 to 37.55; p < .00001, respectively). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis shows that LRL therapy could delay the refraction progression of myopia children. It also could reduce progression in axial length and SFCT thinning in both myopia and premoypia children.